Nissan is recalling tens of thousands of its Micra cars in the UK after some drivers reported that the steering wheel became loose in their hands.

The Japanese firm announced it was calling back 841,000 cars worldwide over the glitch, the company's third major recall in less than a year.

In the UK, the recall applies to 133,869 Micras made between December 2002 and May 2006 at the company's flagship Sunderland plant.

The fault comes just weeks after Nissan announced a problem with 59,000 cars in the UK as part of a global recall involving 3.4m cars fitted with airbags that could catch fire or explode. Last September Nissan called back 51,000 cars – 7,000 in the UK – over a separate steering wheel problem with the Qashqai models.

A company spokesman said the two steering-wheel recalls were unrelated. The September recall was triggered because of faulty moulding, which caused steering wheels to fracture, he said, whereas the current recall stems from the manufacturing process.

A new metal was used in the manufacture of the steering wheel, causing it to expand and contract in hot and cold weather, gradually loosening the nut, the spokesman said. "If it is becoming loose it is quite evident to the driver because it feels wobbly," he said.

Nissan has received about 75 complaints worldwide about the problem steering wheel, but no accidents, injuries or deaths have been reported, the company said. It is inviting customers to visit a Nissan dealership so the steering wheel can be checked free of charge. The fix takes around 15 minutes.

The latest recall will focus unwelcome attention on the Sunderland plant, which has played a crucial role in the revival of the British car industry and produces just over half a million cars every year. David Cameron lauded British manufacturing when he visited the plant in April to launch the Nissan Leaf, the first all-electric car to be produced in Britain. The Leaf is not affected by the recall.

David Bailey, professor of international business strategy and economics at Coventry Business School, said the recall did not reflect badly on the Sunderland plant.

"Recalls are actually very frequent in the car industry and they have been around as long as the car industry has been around."

"It is quite a big one – 840,000 cars – but I don't think it is significant in that they have identified the problem and identified the fix … They are doing the right thing," he said.

"We are much more sensitive to these issues since the massive recall by Toyota when they recalled millions of cars … Clearly there have been more recalls that have affected Japanese companies in the last few years than we have previously expected, but I don't think it is a major problem."

Toyota's reputation was battered when it was forced to recall 19m cars worldwide over faulty accelerators between 2009 and 2011.

In Japan, the Nissan recall also affects the Cube, a car only produced in that country. About 442,000 recalled Micras made in Sunderland have been exported to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers, about 90% of cars recalled in the UK are eventually fixed, compared with 70% in the US. Under code of conduct rules drawn up by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), car companies are not allowed to give consumers compensation.